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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Perfect Pound Cake - Simple, Plain and it disappeared fast!

I live on the Central Coast of California. We are thankful for the rain we've been receiving, over the last few weeks. The Golden Hills are bursting with fresh green grass... our wisteria plants are already budding. Along with that, I am seeing a thick layer of yellow pollen all over my car! I'm sneezing and congested-- and, it is quite possible that I am fighting the beginning of a cold. Alas, the recipes I've bookmarked throughout the week will need to be put on hold. A stuffed up nose impairs a foodie's ability to taste and smell. *SIGH*

I had every intention of making this pound cake recipe, again, for two reasons-- we loved it, and I had hoped to photograph a slice of cake with a mound of fresh berries (a benefit of living in the agriculturally rich Salinas Valley), with fresh cream. I decided to post the recipe, Plain Jane because I ran out of time. I can tell you, right now, the cake was delicious in all it's glorious nakedness.

Let's begin:

The ingredients: butter, flour, eggs, sugar, and 7-UP (not diet...it's canceled out, anyway, with cake). The butter and eggs are room temperature. PW lists butter flavor extract and lemon extract, for this recipe. I could not find butter flavored extract at any of my grocery stores! Then I remembered...

... I ordered a bottle of Buttery Sweet Dough Emulsion to make Cinnamon Rolls and Stollen (which I finally made). I opened the bottle, for the first time, and took a whiff (last week, before the cold). It smelled like yellow cake mix batter, with a hint of citrus, and I really liked it! I decided to add lemon extract, anyway.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter, add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition; then add butter and lemon extracts and mix well. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Easy, so far!

Add the soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly. Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly. My oven reached this point just a hair over one hour. I'm one of those bakers who checks her cakes a little early. Overbaked cakes = dry = "Choke Cake".

This photo looks just like Ree's! The cake did turn out perfectly, and it smelled heavenly-- notes of vanilla, butter and citrus. Mmmmm. Now, how to get the cake out? I flashed back to last April, when I made a Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt Cake. I didn't allow the cake to cool long enough, and my husband got a little aggressive (Damsel in Distress Syndrome) and the cake broke apart.

...like this. I retired this ancient bundt pan and bought a shiny new one. Warily, I flipped the pan over, and let the cake cool completely. This wasn't easy, because the cake smells amazing.

Ta-Da! (Breathes sigh of relief) I seriously considered making a glaze for this-- as you can see, I missed giving a good coating of non-stick spray in a few areas. So, I'll call this a Rustic Bundt Cake, which means I give myself permission to not be so perfect. Ha! I decided to dust it with powdered sugar.

The slice of cake felt moist-- this was promising.

Now, close your eyes and visualize a mound of fresh berries on top, with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.... or a scoop of homemade ice cream with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Did you see it? I did! I did the latter, but night had fallen and I didn't want to photograph with flash light. It was delicious, plain. Next time...

Yes, this is perfect pound cake. It's moist, but dense enough to stand up to whatever topping you might decide to use. I loved the Sweet Dough Emulsion flavor, which had subtle notes of vanilla, butter and citrus. I recommend it-- it gives a terrific flavor, without overpowering the overall cake flavor. I'd like to try using almond extract, as a variation, too.

My son, happily and greedily, took a large chunk to his own apartment. My husband and I enjoyed this in our lunch boxes... the cake was gone in just a few days. The pound cake is neck-to-neck my favorite recipe, next to Ina Garten's Guiltless Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake.

Your pound cake is perfect, Debby. And I'm definitely going to look into getting some of the Buttery Sweet Dough flavoring you recommend. I need to chuck my old bundt pan and get a new one. The darn things should last forever!

I'd like to take some of that buttery emulsion and dab a little on my wrists and behind my ears....

Beautiful cake! I think I'll try this and butter my bundt with some granulated sugar. I appreciated the fall apart bundt picture...I've had that happen when I didn't let it cool long enough. The temptation to eat it right away is too strong!

I'm jealous that you seem to be having spring already, and it's absolutely freezing here. About two years ago, I made the famous 7 Up Cake which is a classic soda pop recipe (there is a Coca Cola Cake and I think a Sprite Cake, too). The bubbles give the cake a really nice texture. Yours looks delish.

I found your blog via One Perfect Bite, I love it and I will be back again and again! Love your photos and the recipes are all very interesting. My husband and I live in the Texas Hill Country(aka the Cedar Tree Capital of the Universe), and feel your pain with the congestion etc. The pound cake looks terrific and a perfect dessert for Super Bowl Sunday! ~LeslieMichele

I brought the LorAnn Lemon, Orange and almond bakery emulsions from the King Arthur Flour company a few years ago, I can still smell the flavors in them even though they have an expiration date of 01/10. I keep them in the refrigerator. I don't know if they are still usable after the expiration date. Do you still use yours after the expiration date. I don't use them much and they are too expensive to buy every time they are past their expiration date.

This recipe is simply amazing! Since I made your version of the 7-up Pound Cake, I've retired mine (ha-ha!). Each time there is a celebration at home, I'm asked to make this cake. Thank you so much for sharing!

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Welcome to my internet kitchen. Please, sit back and relax, and watch me make delicious food and bakery recipes. Most of my recipes are simple, flavorful meals-- and a few baked treats. I focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and I try to avoid using boxed mixes and processed foods. I'm having fun learning how to cook like my grandmother once did-- from scratch! I hope that my step-by-step photos will inspire a timid cook to try them. Even if you're a seasoned cook, hopefully you'll learn a new tip or two.

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